My good wife Alex sent an email out at work yesterday.
Offering free cake and biscuits.
She’s running the London Marathon in April (she’d greatly appreciate any donations too BTW, she’s raising money for a charity which “helps young people who are homeless, vulnerable and disadvantaged” –> https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=AlexHall01&pageUrl=1).
And she know perfectly well that just emailing a link will only get so much response.
And that asking people to swing by her desk to talk about it probably even less.
Take some cake and biscuits in to work, tell everyone they can have some if they stop off at her desk when she can then tell them about the marathon, and she’ll get a much highers response rate.
Unfortunately, I can’t send you cake on email.
But, I bet, at the very least, this subject line will get a higher open rate than usual.
And if everyone who reads these blogs sponsored her a handful of pounds, she’d hit target instantly (pretty please?).
When you work in fitness, people think that ‘being in shape’ is much easier for you.
It some ways it is and in some ways it isn’t.
We still have to actually do the exercise and make the food choices.
And it can be harder to motivate yourself to workout by yourself at your place of work when you’ve already been there 15 hours and just want to go home, then it is when you just need to turn up for 45 minutes and be told what to do.
But one big advantage, we do have, is no one is bringing cake and biscuits in.
It’s not like you can’t ever have cake and biscuits and have a body you’re happy with.
But when people are offering them round at work every day (always someone’s birthday or celebration, isn’t it?), then we know it’s not going to be easy.
So, what do you do?
How do you work round everyone offering you stuff that can lead to your derailment (in work or out)?
As always, there’s no ‘one answer’.
It’s about finding an approach that works for you.
But it’ll probably be some combination of the following:
1. Set a limit. Whether is be an amount of such things per day or week. And stick to it.
2. Average out. Adjust intake (or expenditure) somewhere else in the day or week to keep within a deficit (or maintenance).
3. Drop (or, at least, challenge) that ‘all or nothing’ mindset. When we think about it, ‘writing off’ the rest of that day, week or month doesn’t make any sense. One food decision doesn’t have to justify another. If anything one ‘less good’ decision should justify a better one somewhere else, not the opposite.
4. Just accept that there will be people (like my wife) who bring cake and biscuits in (or offer you alcohol or whatever else). Don’t get annoyed by it. It’ll always be that way. Just create and stick to that plan so that it doesn’t send you backwards.
Much love,
Jon ‘It would be awesome if you hit that link and gave her a little sponser’ Hall and Matt ‘While you’re clicking link, it’s only a week till the find out more meeting for the February programme. If you (or a friend) haven’t already, here’s what you need to do –> myrise.co.uk/briefing-meeting‘ Nicholson
